Ripple (electrical)

Ripple (specifically ripple voltage) in <a href="/facts/Electronics/E4JhgISq">electronics</a> is the residual <a href="/facts/Periodic_function/Sm8lJQsF">periodic</a> variation of the <a href="/facts/Direct_current/r9MNUx84">DC voltage</a> within a power supply which has been derived from an <a href="/facts/Alternating_current/qxICS3xa">alternating current</a> (AC) source. This ripple is due to incomplete suppression of the alternating <a href="/facts/Waveform/yAskMREw">waveform</a> after rectification. Ripple voltage originates as the output of a rectifier or from generation and commutation of DC power.
Ripple (specifically ripple current or surge current) may also refer to the pulsed current consumption of non-linear devices like capacitor-input rectifiers.
As well as these time-varying phenomena, there is a <a href="/facts/Frequency_domain/pyTVrUSq">frequency domain</a> ripple that arises in some classes of <a href="/facts/Filter_(signal_processing)/vydJCNle">filter</a> and other <a href="/facts/Signal_processing/Npaja6zb">signal processing</a> networks. In this case the periodic variation is a variation in the <a href="/facts/Insertion_loss/Pxe6aTx6">insertion loss</a> of the network against increasing <a href="/facts/Frequency/QUSbPaW8">frequency</a>. The variation may not be strictly linearly periodic. In this meaning also, ripple is usually to be considered an incidental effect, its existence being a compromise between the amount of ripple and other design parameters.
Ripple is wasted power, and has many undesirable effects in a DC circuit: it heats components, causes noise and distortion, and may cause digital circuits to operate improperly. Ripple may be reduced by an <a href="/facts/Electronic_filter/ny7k6VxV">electronic filter</a>, and eliminated by a <a href="/facts/Voltage_regulator/RWQATaje">voltage regulator</a>.

Ripple (electrical) open-in-new

Ripple (electrical)